Gaming machines have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. They are operable to play such wagering games as mechanical or video slots, poker, bingo, keno, and blackjack. A typical gaming machine is cluttered with numerous hardware and software components for implementing such functions as game software execution, currency handling, player tracking, ticket reading and printing, and communicating with a back-of-house computer system. The numerous hardware and software components add significantly to the cost of manufacture (and therefore the selling price), complexity, and amount of maintenance and servicing required by the gaming machine in the field. Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is directed toward a gaming machine that is cost-effective and easy to manufacture and requires less maintenance and servicing in the field.
Many gaming players want to be able to play gaming machines much more frequently then they are currently able to do. Such players are often limited because of the requisite travel required to attend casinos or other legal gaming establishments. The involvedness, cost, and inconvenience of a player being forced to travel to a casino severely limits the amount of gambling excursions that a player can assume. Furthermore, since these excursions are infrequent, a gaming player is often forced to spend as much time gambling as possible during the excursion because such a player may not have the means to return to the casino for several months or years. There is continuing need for a gaming player to be able to gamble more frequently or for a shorter period time than is currently available and to be able to do so from a location remote from the casino.
Toward that end, interactive or “online” gaming allows a player to gamble from a location, such as a residence, remote from the casino. The player may access a gaming web site on a global computer network, such as the Internet, from a computing device coupled to the global computer network. The computing device may, for example, be a personal computer, Internet appliance, personal digital assistant, or wireless telephone. To play a wagering game on the gaming web site, a player generally must supply credit or debit card account information. Wagers are deducted from the account, and payouts for winning outcomes are added to the account.
Interactive gaming is one of the most rapidly growing industries in the world. Although many jurisdictions prohibit interactive gaming, it is expected that such jurisdictions will ultimately legalize interactive gaming under detailed regulations. Also, despite the prohibition against interactive gaming, the global computer network includes countless gaming sites generally hosted by companies with minimal brand name recognition. These gaming sites are operational and generate substantial annual revenues.
It is believed that when interactive gaming is legalized, casinos with widespread brand name recognition will be positioned to capitalize on the interactive gaming market because players will be eager to wager with trustworthy brands. Casinos with the strongest brands will receive greater online patronage at their gaming web sites than gaming web sites hosted by less recognized companies. It is believed that casinos will want to maximize their relationship with players by integrating a player's casino gaming experience with the player's interactive gaming experience. Accordingly, another aspect of the present invention is directed toward a method, system, and gaming machine for efficiently achieving this integration.